Painting a concrete pool in CT

[bjcascone]

Hi I have a 16X36' inground pool in CT. At one time it had a liner but the previous owners removed it and painted the concrete. it needs some repainting. I planned on draining it in the fall power washing it patching any weak spots and repainting the whole thing. (I am pretty handy so it should not be that difficult for me to do this.) I am looking for some advice.

1) What is involved with getting Gunite or porcelain sprayed or applied over what I currently have? Is this something I can do and what am I looking at for cost?
2) I have heard that the existing paint needs to be tested to determine what type was previously applied as this will affect what type needs to be applied after. I think I have a can of the previous paint possibly Olympic not sure what material but does anyone know where I can get this test done? also once I have determined what is currently on there how do I determine what to use?
3) any suggestions at to brands or types of paint to use?
4) Once pick out a paint and am ready to do this project I planned on power washing the pool etching it with muriatic acid, power washing again. finding any concrete that is weak, and patching it. then applying 2 coats. Any other suggestions or tips?
5) and finally I want to paint the pool a dark color as it will retain more heat and I do not have a heater. I was considering black. I have never seen a black pool before, not sure if it would look bad or is this a popular thing. my patio is a painted grey concrete (used behr deckover and it looks great highly recommend this for sprucing up a beat up concrete surface).

Thanks for your help!

 

[Melt In The Sun]

Welcome to TFP!
Is the entire pool concrete? If so, you'd be better off plastering it...a bit more expensive, but it will look much nicer and last much longer. Based on the experience of every single person who has ever reported their results to us, paint (rubberized, epoxy-based, whatever) just doesn't last. It looks bad after a year, and worse quickly after that.

Even getting another liner put in would be better than paint, and that would be the ideal solution if your walls are fiberglass.

 

[bjcascone]

Yes the entire pool is concrete.

Is doing plaster on my own feasable?

Also I found an 2 part epoxy like system that is paintable and claims to last 10+ years. I can not think of the name of it now but I will find it and post it. ever hear of such a product and if so are the claims over exaggerated?

Thanks for your help!

 

[bjcascone]

http://aquaguardcoatings.com/aquaguard.php

 

[aherber08]

Take it from someone who painted their pool only 1 year ago. It's not worth it. I used Olympic's epoxy paint, which claims it will last 5-8 years. I will be lucky to get 3yrs out of it. It's already fading and chalking, and the preparation is a lot of work. I followed the instructions exactly, and while I'm not having a catostrophic failure (like the paint flaking or bubbling), it not gonna make it close to 5 years.

I had no choice, as a liner wasn't an option for my free-form pool. My walls are fiberglass and were blistering, and thus replastering wasn't an option, either. You can't do plaster yourself, in my opinion.

Also, with regard to the products you find online promising great results...be very skeptical. I was thorough in my research last year and found that many of the great "warranties" offered are not so great. I.e. if you claim the product failed too soon, they might give you some free (or more likely, pro-rated cost) paint, so you can do it again yourself. No coverage on the labor, etc. Lots of these sites promise the world, but offer few specifics, so be careful...you know what people say about things that sound too good to be true...

Seems to me the liner would be a better option, but that's my $0.02